Leon Dane Hall
SALT LAKE CITY - An officer is recovering and a man is in jail after the suspect allegedly hit the officer in the head with a large lawn ornament shaped like a flower.
Authorities said the attack happened just after midnight when an officer approached a man, 23-year-old Leon Dane Hall, who was knocking on apartment doors and trespassing at the Pauline Apartments near 100 S. and 300 E.
When the officer tried to talk to Hall, he refused and hit the officer in the side of the head with a cast-iron lawn decoration, severing the officer's ear and leaving a large gash in his head.
Authorities had to use a stun gun and baton to take Hall into custody.
Both the officer and Hall were taken to the hospital.
Flower lawn ornament allegedly used in officer's attack.
Hall has been released from the hospital and booked into jail on a number of charges including assaulting an officer, interfering with a police investigation and criminal mischief.
This is not Hall's first run-in with police.
He was arrested in 2011 for a hit and run crash and drug possession on July 2.
According to the documents, Hall resisted arrest then as well.
Officers said they found ecstasy, drug pipes and marijuana in his car during that arrest.
Weeks later, Hall, who then went by the name Dane, claimed he was a victim of a hate crime.
According to police documents, Hall said one of the four men who attacked him outside of a club yelled a homosexual slur before the assault.
Hall told authorities he previous drug arrests had nothing to do with his attack.
However, on Sept. 1, 2011, Hall told Fox 13 he is not a drug dealer and that his blood test came back clean immediately after his attack.
